Top draft pick 'stuck' skating with Selanne

Ducks assistant general manager David McNab joked Tuesday morning at Anaheim Ice about the tough luck that had befallen left wing Logan MacMillan, the club's first-round selection in the 2007 NHL entry draft.

In his first real training-camp shot with the Ducks after having sat mostly idle during last year's version because of a concussion, MacMillan has been stuck skating in practices and scrimmages alongside a 38-year-old in camp on a mere tryout contract.

MacMillan's linemate, of course, is none other than right wing Teemu Selanne, the author of 552 career goals whose unusual contract status is only because of the Ducks' salary-cap constraints.

"It's unbelievable," MacMillan said. "If there's anybody you could have been put with, to be put with him is a good feeling. It's pretty fun. He has fun out there and he pretty much does everything right, so he's easy to play with."

It's no accident that MacMillan has been skating alongside Selanne. Teaming skilled players only makes sense, and giving a top-notch prospect the chance to learn from a near-certain Hall of Famer is a no-brainer.

"For Logan MacMillan to have an opportunity to skate and scrimmage and play with a guy like Selanne should be a thrill," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "It should be something he's very, very excited about."

MacMillan, 19, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks in July, but retaining junior eligibility, he is almost certain to be returned to the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. If nothing else, he figures to have some stories to take back to Nova Scotia.

"Just being here in general, being on the ice with all those guys, I'm kind of just taking everything in, learning stuff that they're doing," MacMillan said. "Every day, you're picking stuff up."

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